At first taste I though Prizefight Irish Whiskey might be a sourced Bushmills, then I had a bit more and started to pick up some hay-like notes and some earthier notes that threw me off the trail of Bushmills and sent me down that path of “where the hell have I tasted this before” whiskey nerds know all too well. It was bugging me so I finally gave up, looked it up online and discovered it came from West Cork… of course.
The days of “everything not called Busmills and Jameson is Cooley” has been over for a while and there are indie Bushmills on the market more and more frequently. It also seems like the West Cork guys are getting into the distillery-for-hire game more and more which makes this whole category a bit more exciting in my mind. With that lets dig into the Prizefight Irish Whiskey review!
Whiskey Review: Prizefight Irish Whiskey
In Prizefight Whiskey’s Words: Prizefight Irish Whiskey
“When Flor Prendergast decided to create a whiskey, he brought in his American friend and spirits maverick, Steven Grasse, who had an idea that required a transatlantic collaboration: whiskey from Ireland, finished in rye barrels from America. They formed Pugilist Spirits to bring this idea to life, with whiskey distilled and aged in West Cork, Ireland and rye barrels sourced by Grasse’s own Tamworth Distilling in the U.S.
Inspired by the Irish-American connection, Grasse had the idea to call the whiskey Prizefight. The brand tells the incredible stories of the Irish who came to America and became the greatest fighters of their day. Each bottle commemorates the boxing legends who came with nothing and fought for everything.”
Prizefight Irish Whiskey price, ABV, age and other details
Region: Ireland
Bottler: Prizefight Whiskey
Distiller: West Cork Distillers
Mash Bill: 10-year-old Irish Single Malt + 4-year-old Irish Grain
Cask: ex-Bourbon & ex-Rye (6 month finishing)
Age: NAS (4 years)
ABV: 43%
Price: ~$45
Prizefight Irish Whiskey Tasting Notes
EYE
Golden
NOSE
Honied orchard fruit, vanilla marshmallow, nutmeg spice, banana, caramel and a bit of cocoa and toffee.
PALATE
Honied fruit, grain sweetness, cinnamon heavy spice, banana, caramel, coconut and a bit of vanilla and bubblegum.
FINISH
Short -> Vanilla, honied fruit, toffee and spice.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not fully balanced, light body and a watery feel.
Prizefight Irish Whiskey Review – OVERALL
The best aspect of the Prizefight Irish Whiskey is the spice that starts in the aroma and continues through the finish. Outside of that it comes across like your typical, blended, Irish Whiskey. Nothing overly exciting, but nothing foul about it either. Just is what it is. I do love the concept, and can see where it’s starting to have an effect, but I think it needs a bit more finishing time… and a higher proof (46% NCF please).
Maybe they need to finish it longer in the rye barrels, maybe they need to “finish” the single malt and the grain separately in rye barrels and then marry them and put back into the rye barrels for a second finishing. Though that might not be possible if they’re sourcing an already blended product and finishing in the rye barrels themselves. Either way, the rye doesn’t pack enough of a punch to massively distinguish the Prizefight Irish Whiskey from the rest of the blended Irish Whiskey pack…. yet.
SCORE: 83/100 (B)
*Disclosure: This sample of Prizefight Irish Whiskey was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
